Thursday, February 2, 2012

Sasquatch 2012 Lineup Revealed

First glance, outstanding lineup. It will rival 2010, and a sell out is imminent. Jack White and Beck were great surprises, and it's not a secret Tenacious D is the only band on my Sasquatch wish list every year. Even the undercard is filled with lesser known bands you will eventually dig. I wasn't one of the many getting wasted tonight in celebration, so this is a mostly sober opinion.

last year the death from above announcement came the next morning didnt it ? maybe the same will happen for another reunited band already scheduled for coachella like DFA was last year. LOOKING AT YOU AT THE DRIVE IN AND OR REFUSED

So I'm guessing the headliners are Jack White, Bon Iver, The Shins, and Beck? Or is one headliner usually Electronic? I'm new to this. Plus I feel like Tenacious D will be a headliner (can't believe they're going hahaha), so i donno.

Oh also, I think the 4 headliners are going to be the first 4 names on the list. Jack White headlines (subheadliner Tenacious D) Friday that is much more than last year's was. I bet Friday will be almost a whole day instead of just an evening. Saturday Beck (subheadliner the Shins), Sunday Bon Iver (Beirut) and Monday night is Pretty Lights (Girl Talk) for the finale.

I could really care less about Jack White, Ted Leo and M.Ward. The rest of the lineup? No complaints. Mogwai and Explosions have always been faves of mine. I loved Bon Iver a couple years ago, can't wait to hear him do his more recent stuff. Shearwater will be great! Helio Sequence is one of the best two-person bands ever, along with Ghostland Observatory and Black Keys. Tenacious D? Whoo-hoo!! This is going to be FUN! The haters can hate all they want, but hell with them, I'm gonna have a GOOD TIME this year!!

Amazing I have already been listening non stop and even the smaller bands are good. So far pickwick, unknown mortal orchestra, beat connection, poor moon and electric guest are very good! alot of high, hills sitting moments!

@Adam, Girl Talk into Pretty Lights will likely happen Friday night. Beirut appears to be playing Monday, so opening for Bon Iver seems logical. The Shins in Beck Saturday is a decent bet. That would leave Tenacious D into Jack White, the dual headlining Sunday.

this line up is amazing.so well thought out.might not be the flashiest but will surprise everybody in how great it really is once were all actually there... if you don't like it then good don't come, your not a true sasquatcher then anyways.so stoked.

Would've like to see Miike Snow come support their new album, but that's a small complaint. Big ups to the "Maine stage," showcasing northwest hip hop like Grynch is a good way to progress the festival. Killer lineup

Been faithfully going for years, but this will be the first that I skip. All the bands I would want to see have been in Seattle already within the past year, and the headliners are so sub-par it boggles my mind. Tenacious D? Really? I'm sorry but I'm not 14 anymore. Beck has headlined before and hasn't done anything in forever, and Jack White doesn't impress. There's really no huge headliner that could rival the Massive Attack of LCD Soundsystem sets from 2010. Lame, safe picks, and not worth 300 bucks. At least Coachella actually took some chances this year.

it sure doesn't have the depth that previous years had...in past years (2011, 2010, 2009), I could rattle off in excess of 40+ bands that I would like to see...this year, maybe half that...I sincerely hope I'm proven wrong.

all of the people who say they don't know many of the bands on the lineup clearly don't listen to enough music...also how the heck can you be not excited about Jack White??there are a lot of names that I'm bummed to see absent from this list but also a ton of surprises. this lineup is one of the better ones, I'd say.

The lineup is growing on me more and more. There are a lot of bands that I don't listen to on a regular basis but I know they will be fun to watch: Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, Pretty Lights, Spiritualized, Beats Antique, Metric. Then add in the goodies: Beck, Feist, The Shins, Tenacious D, M. Ward, Blind Pilot, The Helio Sequence and we have ourselves a hell of a festival! Good god. Bands that are a waste of a spot and by saying so will create an uproar: Jack White, Bon Iver, Beirut. I have never understood those bands and they all bore the hell out of me. I'm sure you all disagree so feel free to fling your hate/shit talking at me all you want.

Hey Switch different strokes for different folks. I'll admit that I hated Arcade Fire's "Funeral" until I saw them at Sasquatch in 05. It took seeing them live to see and hear the magic. Those bands you don't like put on quite a show if you can stand giving them a chance.

THERE IS NOT A SINGLE DECENT HEADLINER ON THIS LIST. Jack White? Overhyped. Tenacious D? Awesome a decade ago. Beck? Ditto. Bon Iver? Not energetic enough to carry Sasquatch. The midlevel bands are pretty awesome, but the idea of numerous excellent junior varsity acts without a quality headliner doesn't carry a festival this size. Not to mention most of them have played Seattle within the year.

Hopefully they announce another headliner, otherwise the only real reason to go would be Explosions in the Sky.

Seriously listen to the lower level bands...they're good. I think they're definitely worth listening to. You know Sasquatch will still be a good experience. Last year I saw some non-headliners live and I now listen to them almost everyday! There's some real talent in the lineup

at anon 9:04: in the 2 years that I've gone to sasquatch (09 and 11), i have seen a total of 1 headliner, from the hill, for about 20 minutes, and still had a wonderful time both years. you really don't need top notch headliners to have a good time. having said that, I'm pretty alright with what we've got for headliners this year.

@Kelby, I'm glad you enjoyed the Quadros last year. The plan is to keep those going this spring. I'm not going to lie, I had a lot more free time last spring, but expect a few of them at least.

@Switch, I can't say I'm a huge fan of any of Jack White's bands, but he has a giant stage presence, and is one bad ass guitar player. When he stepped down from the drums at a recent Dead Weather show, he played a guitar solo that literally gave me chills, with strings breaking throughout. I'm not sure he even had a string attached at the end. You don't need to dig his tunes to enjoy what he can do with a guitar live.

Every person should give Bon Iver a chance. If you think their records are boring, you haven't listen to them enough or loud enough, they're filled with Justin Vernon's genius. As for live, it might be one of the most high energy shows of the weekend in a way completely different from that say, of Pretty Lights. Colin Stetson will destroy it on his barry sax, and the band at the whole will be playing their music with such an incredible amount of passion. It'll be worth it, trust me. They aren't the "hard rocking" headliner of past, but their a band that can definitely carry themselves to that level, even with the small amount of material they have. On a related side note: I'm officially starting the petition here to bill Explosions In The Sky on the main stage as a sub-headliner before Bon Iver. Those two shoes back to back, especially with EITS at sunset, could probably make my life.

Hey guys, according to anon 10:57, we should lower our excitement level, and realize Coachella got the Weeknd. I mean, he never plays live. I'm in the process of updating the first paragraph about the lineup.

"First glance, decent lineup. But Coachella got the Weeknd, and he never plays live. I'm selling my pass and going to Coachella instead."

i swear too god this is like deja vu of 2010, i remember so many people who either loved the line up first glance or thought it was the worst thing ever put on paper..."ohh im goin to coachella they have snoopy dog and radiohead blah blah blah"... then go!! see if any of us goin to sasquatch give a shit ha

Also, there was a quite small crow to witness Shearwater kill an afternoon set on the Bigfoot a few years back. Looks like they'll be getting a closing spot on the Yeti...for your own sake...DON'T MISS OUT! THOR WILL PUNISH YOU OTHERWISE!!!

Heckling Yawwwna Del Ray was my first thought as well. It would never work because everyone would end up seeing a band they actually wanted to see instead. That's why the Bright Eyes heckling didn't happen last year.

so it seems to me that it looks like the headliners are already in place by day with subliner underneath them..friday: jack white tenacious dsaturday: Beck, the shinssunday: bon iver, Beirutmonday: Pretty lights, girl talk

Is no one getting excited at all about The Roots? Easily the most entertaining/musical hip hop group out there. They do everything from Wu-Tang to Jimi Hendrix, and they KILL all of it. I opt to see a Roots crew concert over a Head and the Heart or Jack White concert every time.

The girlfriend drug me to DMB fest this past summer. Roots were there and IMHO were just okay. If your into live mixtapes and a lot of "yeahs" "come ons" i guess The Roots are cool. I prefer watching Conan.

I was most excited about Jack White, Mogwai and Explosions, but overall the lineup didn't blow me away initially. Looking at it a few times though, it's way better than last year and I'm optimistic that it will draw a much less abrasive fratsquatch crowd. Also, I just checked out Gary Clark jr and that is some bad ass stuff

go watch the documentary "it might get loud". It made me freakin love Jack White so much more. I mean it doesn't really affect how good his show is going to be, but i tend to like bands a lot more when i like them as people.

Hey Rosetta! is probably one of the most talented bands I've heard in a long time. If you dont know them, check them out. Tim Barker hits every note live he hits on the album. If you miss them. You will cry.

As an older fan, I find it great to see some post-prog/post-rock stuff like Mogwai and Explosions, those two have been favorites of mine for years. I could care less about Jack White, but am interested in just about all the rest. Helio Sequence puts out a great sound, they were very good a few years ago. Very much looking forward to The War On Drugs and Kurt Vile. Yes, the headliners aren't particularly inspiring, and yes, they won't come near to the Massive Attack, My Morning Jacket and LCD shows of a couple years ago... but the only one of them I've seen before is Bon Iver, and I thought he was outstanding a few years ago at Sasquatch. There is a lot to like in this year's lineup. And because I don't know anything about most of the artists in the second half of the list, that means there are just that many more new artists to discover. Bring it on! I can't wait

The fact that many of us are unfamiliar with many of the bands in the lineup should not be used as a determining factor when deciding whether or not to attend. Last year I was only familiar with around 50% of the bands (living under a rock) and I came away loving many of the bands I had never even heard of. Also, thought of heckling Lana crossed my mind, but like no Id said, I wouldn't want to miss out on someone I actually wanted to see. :)

Tickets didn't even sell out last year. They claimed they did but then released a bunch more tickets closer to the show. Also, the shins and bon iver both annonced spring tours and their shows are exactly how they're placed on the sasqautch page. If this holds true, friday and saturday might be the only days i'm attending this year.

Are they still going to do the "late night" performer (last year with Bassnectar/Ratatat), and if so who will they use? Since PL and Girl Talk are headlining the main stage, I'm not sure who would really fit into a post-headliner "late night" spot...

@anon 422: No one can say for sure when the day by day lineup will be officially announced. They do it differently each year. Even when the main(e) site lists a band playing a certain day, that has been known to change before the schedule is released, which should be early May (give or take).

The same reason people hate the line up every year is the same reason I love the line up every year. There are bands I have never heard of. Period. This festival lets you see what they bring to the table without the help of audio editing and endless studio time. Not to mention, if you HAVE been to other music festivals, you will realize we are spoiled to have such an excellent venue. We get used to it and start focusing on the wrong things, when the truth of the matter is I doubt anyone could ever mutter the words "Man I regret going to Sasquatch"

Thanks KNOW, you are awesome.

I will see everyone there. Now I'm heading back to discovering more great music.

Also everyone should get excited for com truise. I saw him open for neon indian in denver, and honestly com truise's set outdid neon indian by a wide margin. If he brings the same drummer with him, expect a killer set. Shout out to some low-fi electro in the face of skrillex inspired brostep.

Another update. Sorry, but a couple more bands. Little Dragon said they'll be there Sat the 27th, which is actually Sunday and windish has them on Sunday. Also windish has Beirut on Sunday. The monday was based on the lineup "leak".

Friday May 25Pretty LightsGirl TalkExplosions in the SkySantigoldOf Monsters and MenSBTRKTSTRFKR

I don't understand the "expect tiny crowds" in reference to M. Ward. Last time he played the main stage to a huge crowd. There is a picture from the stage of the crowd and it's pretty massive for a non-headliner performance.

Don't be pressured into buying a 4-day wristband, there will be plenty of other suckers that will need to get rid of them closer to the show. There are 500+ wristbands on Stub Hub right now and they haven't even sold out yet. Last year Live Nation/Ticketmaster put a bunch of wristbands on their "sister site" at a mark-up, but they didn't end up selling so they were released back into the public even after it was stated that Sasquatch sold out.

Doit2012- You need to do your research before posting the days. YOU ARE WAY OFF! Even the most basic research will show you M. Ward is playing on Saturday and not Sunday. There are at least a dozen other mistakes!

@2/17/12: By "excpect tiny crowds," I meant bands/acts the younger crowd at Sasquatch generally will not care about. I posted that hours after the lineup was announced, so what stage they will play was not a factor in determining the draw. Main stage acts will always have large(r) crowds, it's always been that way (minus Guided By Voices of course).

The point still remains many people will go out of their way to avoid M. Ward, which is a shame because he is an outstanding guitar player with an above average voice.

I get what you're saying about M. Ward. Some people don't get him. I wasn't trying to be a dick but when someone has played to a big crowd as Sasquatch already I think it's safe to assume a repeat. M. Ward has played Sasquatch before and it was the main stage and it had a very large crowd for an afternoon performance. Since then he has released another She and Him album with Zoey Dechanel and a Monsters of Folk album with MMJ's Jim James/Yim Yames and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst, both of which only increased his popularity. Expect a bigger crowd this time than in 2008. Not the biggest crowd but he's not a headliner.

on another note people who are complaining about the line up and headliners.....no headliners they are going to headline and be headliners for the next 20 years everyone needs a chancee to headline!! Up and coming! Be ahead of the curve